Two people came to our hospital this evening to run genotype test because in three (3) months time they will get marry. They have been in a relationship for about four years now. When they came to our facility I saw love in their eyes and how they looked at each other with so much affection and is admiring looking at this awaiting couple to be soon join gas husband and wife in there months time.
After I collected their blood samples I had a little conversation with them. Our facility have a form the laboratory personnel normally used to fill with the patient name, address and some few information when it comes to couple's screening. After filling the forms, I asked them how they met and how hard they have been together battling with relationship issues here and there, the possibility of trying to figure out each other differences and how they managed to forgive one another all this years to this point of settling down maritally as husband and wife.
The wife smiles at my questions and answers amazingly with first of all, I never picked interest in him when he approach me and expressed his feelings and intentions about me because he is a short man. Haha I laughed and asked her immediately, Mam you meant to say you doesn't like "short men" she said YES oh and all of us laughed. She began saying I gave him the chance and few weeks I began developing strong feelings for him . I have never felt loved for anyone within a short period of time in my past relationships she further said. I responded it's obviously because he is a short man that's why you fell in love with him within a short period of time they both laughed and tease each other more as I looked at how she touch his head and said well short men are the sweetest people because she has met one and realized she was wrong about her ideology of short men. She said the man is loving and caring. He appreciates every little thing she has done for him even though she doesn't have much to give or support him especially in the financial aspect.
He accepts her advice whenever she give him when necessary and respect her decision as a woman in a certain misunderstanding they had. She said most of the time in the mist of arguments and misunderstanding the man will not talk much for he is a quiet person and if he noticed she's angry, he knows how to manage and talk to her in a calm and in a respectful manners to settled their misunderstanding. Apart from all of this things he used to support her family and he normally call her mother and being talking to her time to time. Because of all she loved him more and more. The man said just little part about his. He said he saw her in the church during their sisters fellowship conference, since then get just love her and wished to marry her. He got to get her number through one of the fellowship sister he knew from his own church. That rest is history so he said and I we all laughed.
I told them to excuse me for 10 minutes and wait outside let me run the genotype test for them.
I ran the genotype test and both of them are "AS" . I repeated the rest again and still have me the same results "AS". I was shocked and kept asking myself what would happen to this people that are about getting marry in three months time. I later call them in and asked them to sit-down. I asked them if they have done the genotype test while in this four years of relationship they said no. I asked them why? The man said he planned to do it when he engaged her and is definitely ready and prepare for marriage that's why all this years he wasn't prepared but now he is prepared and wants to settled down that's why they came to do the test.
The lady added they are planing from here after the results are out they will proceed to Cafe for the printing of the wedding cards. I was pained in the heart as I began to explain the results to them. All of you are "AS" , your genotype is not compatible sir/Mam. If you marry with this kind of genotype you will surely give birth to "SS" a sickle cell anemia. And honestly most sickle cell children doesn't stay healthy or alive and to manage or control their health is very difficult. It involves a lot of money to buy their drugs, injections and placed them on a proper balance diet to keep them in a healthy condition because their immune system is not that strong. I noticed the man and the woman has no much knowledge about this genotype of a thing. I further explained more in details about genotype, I told them this genotype are organisms of the same that have exact chromosomes or same gene. Finally I told them with this results they're not compatible to marry each other.
I saw how sad and pained they were looking at me, the woman starting shading tears and the quickly told her not to share tears yet, I will recommended them to go to another hospital and run the same genotype test for confirmation because at times the electrophoresis machine could be faulty or the Tris buffer solution could be dirty which may gives a false or negative results. They left our facility with pains and sadness in their hearts and went out. I guess they will go to another hospital for confirmation. I kept talking to myself in my laboratory after they left saying why would anyone enter a serious relationship for more than two to three years without knowing the other or spouse genotype? This kind of mistakes has cause a lot of people pained and so many marriages have been cancelled because their genotype is not compatible. I heard a story of some couples who even printed their wedding cards already and even started sharing the invitation cards to people yet they didn't do their Genotype.
Untill few days the church demanded for the genotype test results along with HIV and pregnancy test for the woman. They went to the hospital and did all the tests and finds out they are "AS". They church said the marriage will not hold because of the genotype result and base on the church doctrine they will not permit the wedding to take place in the church.
Like, why putting their energy and resources and everything in a serious relationship and will not do genotype test to know if both of you are compatible or not.
This incompatibility genotype have broken a lot of relationships and stopped some marriages to have happened. My advice to anyone that is about to marry , if you are in a serious relationship and sure of getting marry to that person do the genotype to confirm your fate. Don't wait till when you're ready or the year, month you want to get marry before you do the genotype test. What if you do the genotype test in the year or month you are about to get marry and the results shows both of you are "AS" like this people that came to our facility today what would you do. Would you continue with the marriage and give birth to a sickle cell "SS" and been suffering with the child or cancel the marriage considering all your resources, time, energy is about to be counted as wasted. Please let me guided and reduce the rate of pain we can cause to ourselves.
Four years of relationship broken at the point of settling down maritally or ended because of genotype incompatibility.
Do yourself good to know your own genotype before your partner own . Save yourself and children and future generations that are coming.
Being a health personnel you will see and experienced a lot of challenges and see a lot of condition that will teach you a lesson and make you wiser than your age. Know your genotype before your know your partner own and at early stage of the relationship both of you should run the genotype two to three times together for confirmation.
Thank you for reading through this experience today.
I hope you've read through and have learned lessons. Don't repeat the mistake other people has made because of ignorance. Be wise and do the needful.